With so much good music being released all the time, it can be difficult to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a series of major new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch features new albums from Paul McCartney, Mica Levi, Walt Disney Records and Sheff G. Subscribe to Pitchfork’s New Music Friday newsletter to get our recommendations delivered to your inbox every week. (All releases featured here are independently selected by our editors. However, if you purchase from our affiliate links, Pitchfork earns an affiliate commission.)
Paul McCartney: McCartney III [Capitol]
McCartney III arrives 50 years later McCartney and 40 years after that McCartney II. Earlier this year, Paul McCartney recorded the highly anticipated third of the trilogy while sitting at his home in Sussex, England. “I just did things that I really wanted to do,” he said. “I had no idea this would end as an album.” McCartney’s previous album was that of 2018 Egypt Station.
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Buy from Rough Trade
Mica Levi: Ruff Dog [self-released]
Ruff Dog is the first non-soundtrack album Mica Levi has released under his own name. Released as a surprise, the lo-fi 11 song collection includes one track title – which starts with “A Regular Jimi Hendrix …” – that’s 107 words long. (The song itself is a little over a minute long.) The album follows her scores for movies like Monkey, Jackie, and Under the skin.
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Listen / buy at Bandcamp
Q / A: Soul (original movie soundtrack) [Walt Disney]
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross scored the new Disney Pixar movie Soul. The film, starring Jamie Foxx and featuring original songs by Jon Batiste, is about a musician whose soul is separated from his body. The Soul soundtrack also includes Daveed Diggs’ “Rappin Ced” and Cody ChesnuTT’s “Parting Ways.”
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Sheff G: Proud of me now [Winners Circle/RCA]
After the release of his mixtape The only real and the Only 4 You EP earlier this year, Brooklyn rapper Sheff G released his debut album. It was produced by Great John and includes the singles ‘No Negotiations’ and ‘Lights On’.
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